Does Watanabe Pillow Really Work?

Sick of tossing and turning with your regular pillow and interested in a Watanabe Pillow? What’s all the fuss with this buckwheat filling? Can it really keep your head cool all night, without flipping it? Can it really work? Sit tight and we’ll answer all of these questions and more.

Overview Buckwheat pillows have been around for quite some time. The first one to hit the American market was the Sobakawa pillow, which is still around in a new form. The basic thought is that since the pillow is made from buckwheat, the hulls don’t absorb and retain heat the way a standard pillow does. This allows your head to stay cool while you sleep.

The Claim The Watanabe Pillow is going for adjustability as its major selling feature. They also show that the pillow will provide the support you need. On the TV ad they drop heavy weights onto piles of materials that are used in typical pillows.

They show one tube filled with cotton, another with polyester, and even one with foam beads.

The Hype The hype comes in the price. The pillow is priced so highly that only someone that really believes in its effectiveness would drop so much on it. For the same price you can have some of the most luxurious, hotel-quality pillows on the planet.

If that’s not enough hype when it comes to something as ordinary as a pillow, there’s further hype in their infomercials. For example, while it might be visually stunning, what can really be said for dropping weights on to piles of cotton? It’s not as if you continuously drop your head onto your pillow every night. The act of resting your head on a pillow is much different than dropping a dumbbell on it.

The Cost The cost of one Watanabe Pillow is a whopping $30. This is the cheapest way you can get it, by paying for it all at once. You’ll actually get two pillows, and you can’t order just one. You’ll have to pay an astounding $20 for shipping and handling. This is nearly criminal when you consider that pillows are supposed to be light and airy. So the total will be $60 for two pillows shipped to your door.

You can opt for the Deluxe version, which is more like the size that you’re probably used to. You’ll have to part with an extra $30, but you’ll still get two of them, so that makes it an extra $15 per pillow to live large with the Watanabe Pillow Deluxe.

If you want a set of 4 for you and your partner, they allow you to buy a 2nd set for 30% less, but you’ll still have to pay the full shipping and handling amount. So for a set of 4 pillows you’ll have to cough up $108.

The Commitment This is one of those products with a low commitment level. All you have to do is replace your current pillow with the Watanabe Pillow. Sleep as you normally do and you’re expected to get a better night’s rest and feel refreshed in the morning due to it’s cool, supporting features.

Evaluation Buckwheat pillows take a little getting used to, but they are as described. The grains don’t absorb heat, so you never have to flip your pillow when you sleep. It also contours to your head and neck shape, but without being too squishy like memory foam.

It’s firmer than most people realize, so you might have to get used to sleeping on something that’s not soft and squishy like your normal pillow. Once you spend a week or so with a buckwheat pillow, you’ll either love it or hate it. It’s really a personal preference, and you’ll have to determine if its features translate to benefits for you.

Does Watanabe Pillow Really Work?

The Watanabe Pillow does as described. It provides firm support and won’t retain the heat from your head as you sleep. It takes some adjustment from standard pillows, but once you get used to it you might not want to go back.

Our Recommendation Trying out a buckwheat pillow is a gamble, but if you’re looking for better sleep, you have to take the process of trial and error. The Watanabe Pillow is a little over-priced, so we recommend buying a lesser priced model from a local Bed Bath and Beyond, and if you like it you can consider upgrading to a Watanabe Pillow. There’s no use going through the hassle of ordering and then trying to take them up on their guarantee if you find it’s not your cup of tea.

The price is pretty high for this product. People are pretty picky about what their pillows feel like, so I wouldn’t be comfortable (pun intended!) buying a pillow online because I can’t touch it and see if I would think it would be comfortable for me. Especially at those prices, I am pretty skeptical about the way the pricing goes.

I do think the idea that it will be supportive and the insides won’t get too hot in the night is nice, because I hate when my pillow gets too hot. I can’t sleep well when that happens and am always flipping my pillow at night. I would like to feel this in person, though. I would consider buying this at a store, even at those prices, if I knew I would like it.

I have a side Sleeper Pro which really did fix my neck problems, sometimes a think its a bit hard and I constantly fall out of it and most of the time when I wake I’m on my back which is ok, but I can’t sleep on a ordinary one now as my neck starts aching.

Thank you for posting information about our company’s product. There were a few comments made that perhaps we can answer since we market the pillow. There are two factors that contribute to the price (which is actually $39.98 for the Regular size). First, the pillow is expensive to manufacture. Dr. Watanabe originally introduced the buckwheat pillow to TV audiences in the early 90s. While it was very successful, there were three complaints; it was loud, with time the buckwheat broke down lessening the required support and it could not easily be cleaned. He found a more modern substitute that provided the same benefits as buckwheat and is also quieter, does not breakdown and can be washed. That is what is in his new pillow. Second, the other expensive cost is shipping. Not being a mass shipper like an Amazon, we are subject to the current charges by the delivery companies that offer a trackable shipment to customers. Because the pillows are shipped in a large box and they are not as light as a traditional pillows, the cost is high. The good news is that when our customers use the pillow, they like it and recommend it to others. If, after using it 30-days, a customer decides the pillow isn’t for them they can return it. We have a very liberal return policy. Why don’t we sell the pillow on Amazon so the shipping cost can be less? The reason is the price Amazon’s purchasing model stipulates would mean we would have to sell the pillow to them at a price way below what it costs to manufacture.